The Schreyer Honors College is sponsoring a unique event this semester: pig races.

The pigs, however, are small blue piggy banks, and the goal is not a finish line but a United Way fundraiser.

The "SHC Pig Races" fundraiser began Nov. 19 and was scheduled to end yesterday. Organizers extended it until Friday to collect more money and create awareness.

The pig race is part of a university-wide, semester-long fundraiser. The Schreyer Honors College has the ultimate goal of raising $1,950. All of the money collected will be donated to the United Way.

The idea for the fundraiser came from staff assistant Rosanna Mersinger, who said she was inspired by real pig races she saw at the Grange Fair.

Mersinger recalled that several years ago a lady gave the piggy banks to staff members to fill with change, but it didn't catch on.

After attending the fair and watching the races, Mersinger said she thought it would be a good idea to use the leftover piggy banks for a fundraiser, and the event was born.

Anyone can participate, Mersinger added. Those interested can pick up a piggy bank in C-005 Atherton Hall, fill it with change and exchange a full bank for a small prize such as a pen, a notebook, a stress ball, or hand cream.

So far, nine piggy banks full of change have been collected. The winner is the person who hands in the most piggy banks, Mersinger said. She added though that she is unsure of how much money they've collected, but hopes to have collected a couple hundred dollars.

"It's an easy way to give," said Kathy Sherman, a staff assistant who participated in the fundraiser. "You just throw your change in there when you have a chance."

Dave Henderson (senior-finance and economics) learned about the fundraiser through the Schreyer Honors College e-mail list. The simplicity of donating is an advantage of the fundraiser, he said.

"Everyone's got loose change," Henderson said.

Despite the e-mail list messages and posters in Atherton Hall, not many students participated in the fundraiser, something that Mersinger attributed to the short running time of the event and it being its first year.

"Now that it's out there, people will recognize it," Mersinger said, referring to the future existence of the fundraiser.

Depending on how well the fundraiser goes, it might be held annually, Mersinger added.

She said she plans to start the fundraiser earlier and advertise more if she holds it again.

Sherman thought that in the future it would be "nice for the whole university to do it, not just Schreyer."